Adjustable Monopole Support Structure

ABSTRACT

A support assembly includes a plurality of support arms coupled to a pole or tower structure. The plurality of support arms project radially from the pole or tower structure in a spaced relationship. A plurality of adjustable foot assemblies are coupled to respective distal ends of the plurality of support arms. Each of the plurality of adjustable foot assemblies is configured for coupling to an embedded helical pier. Each of the plurality of adjustable foot assemblies is capable of movement in each of three dimensions relative to the respective support arm to which it is coupled during installation of the support assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/056,639 filed Oct. 17, 2013 and entitled “Adjustable Monopole SupportStructure,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119, based on U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/721,167 filed on Nov. 1, 2012, thedisclosure which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of monopole structures, andmore particularly to support systems associated with such structures.

Monopole structures may be employed for housing or supporting elementssuch as antennae and other communications equipment, signage, electricaltransmission and distribution lines, or lighting in an elevatedposition. Such structures often include a long, hollow pole structureconnected to an underlying surface such as a concrete pad formed in theground. Such monopole structures are typically subjected to wind orother types of forces along their length, which may cause the structureto bend or sway. These forces create a bending moment or torque aboutthe base termination, which in turn stresses the base terminationlocation and can lead to fatigue and eventual failure of the basetermination material.

Conventional monopole structures are often rigidly connected to theground via direct embedment, via concrete base plates, via concreteencased anchor bolts, or via drilled, concrete filled caissons. Thesemethods for installing monopole structures require significant amountsof time and labor, and they impact the chosen construction site. Directembedment and anchor bolt foundations require the use of heavyequipment, which can lead to an adverse impact on the site environmentand expensive installation costs. In each case, installers must beconcerned about what to do with displaced ground material from theconstruction site. In addition, when using concrete base plates orconcrete caissons with anchor bolts, for example, time must be spentwaiting for the concrete to cure and set up before a monopole structurecan be installed. Accordingly, none of these options is sufficient whena strict timeline must be met and minimal site disturbance is required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a isometric view of a portion of a monopole support structureconsistent with embodiment described herein;

FIG. 1B is a front view of the monopole of FIG. 1A showing the monopolesupport structure installed into a support surface;

FIGS. 1C and 1D are top and front views, respectively, of the monopolesupport structure of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is an isometric view of the base platform of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a front view of the base platform of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a top view of the base platform of FIG. 2A taken along theline A-A in FIG. 2B;

FIG. 2D is a top view of the base platform of FIG. 2A taken along theline B-B in FIG. 2B;

FIG. 2E is a side view of the base platform of FIG. 2A take along theline C-C in FIG. 2D;

FIG. 3A is a side view of a straight plate of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 3B and 3C are side and top views, respectively, of a right handplate of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 3D and 3E are side and top view, respectively, of a left handplate of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4A is an isometric view of an exemplary foot plate assembly of FIG.1A;

FIGS. 4B-4D are top, side, and front views, respectively, of the footplate assembly of FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 4E and 4F are top, and front views, respectively, of the exemplarypier cap assembly of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4G is a front view of the exemplary anchor bolt assembly of FIG.1A;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an exemplary helical pier usable with thesupport structure of FIGS. 1A-4G.

FIG. 6A is a isometric view of a portion of a monopole support structureconsistent with another embodiment described herein;

FIG. 6B is a front view of the monopole of FIG. 6A showing the monopolesupport structure installed into a support surface;

FIGS. 6C and 6D are top and front views, respectively, of the monopolesupport structure of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of the base platform of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7B is a front view of the base platform of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a top view of the base platform of FIG. 7A taken along theline A-A in FIG. 7B;

FIG. 70 is a top view of the base platform of FIG. 7A taken along theline B-B in FIG. 7B;

FIG. 7E is a side view of the base platform of FIG. 7A take along theline C-C in FIG. 7D;

FIG. 8A-8C are top, side, and front views, respectively, of the footplate assembly of FIG. 6A;

FIGS. 8D and 8E are top, and front views, respectively, of the exemplarypier cap assembly of FIG. 6A; and

FIG. 8F is a front view of the exemplary anchor bolt assembly of FIG.6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements.

Consistent with implementations described herein, a number of supportarm structures may be used to structurally connect a tubular monopole toa number of helical piers embedded within an environment surface. Asdescribed below, each support arm structure may be coupled to themonopole via an adjustable pin or bolt-based mounting assembly. Morespecifically, the adjustable mounting assembly may enable fine-tunedadjustment of the location of the helical piers relative to the supportarm structures in three dimensions, thereby allowing the supportassembly to adapt to variations in installation parameters, such asangle of inclination of the embedded piers. In contrast to existingmonopole support systems using concrete base plates, concrete encasedanchor bolts, or via drilled, concrete filled caissons, the describedsystem may be employed in environments that are not conducive to the useof concrete or that are not conducive to the impact caused by drivingconventional piers or piles. In addition, the described embodiments maybe used to remediate or supplement existing monopole support structureswith minimal environmental impact.

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a portion of a support structure 100 forsupporting a tubular monopole 102 consistent with an embodimentdescribed herein. Tubular monopole 102 may include a substantiallycylindrical or frusto-conical configuration. In some implementations,monopole 102 may be formed of galvanized tubular steel or similarmaterial. FIG. 1B is a front view of tubular monopole 102 showingmonopole 102 and support structure 100 installed into a support surface(e.g., the ground). FIG. 1C is a top view of monopole support structure100. FIG. 1D is a front view of monopole support structure 100.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 1A, monopole 102 may include amulti-sided configuration, such as a 12-sided (dodecagon) configuration,comprising 12 sides, each having a same width and an angle ofapproximately 15° relative to each adjacent side. In addition, as shownin FIG. 1B, monopole 102 may have an extended length relative to itsdiameter, such length suitable for a given application. For example, amonopole for supporting high voltage power lines may be approximately60-120 feet long or longer, while a monopole for supporting a trafficsignal may be approximately 20-30 feet long. Embodiments describedherein are suitable for monopole 102 having any particular length.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a monopole plate 104 may be welded to the bottom ofmonopole 102, e.g., via a full penetration groove weld or fillet welds.Monopole plate 104 may include a plurality of mounting holes formed inits outer periphery. In an exemplary embodiment, monopole plate 104includes 38 mounting holes spaced about the periphery. As describedbelow, the mounting holes in monopole plate 104 may align with mountingholes in a base platform 106 to secure monopole 102 to base platform106.

Consistent with implementations described herein, monopole supportstructure 100 may include a base platform 106 and a plurality of supportarm assemblies 108-1 to 108-6 (collectively referred to as “support armassemblies 108” and individually as “support arm assembly 108”). In anexemplary implementation, monopole support structure 100 may include sixsupport arm assemblies 108 projecting from a periphery of base platform106 in a spaced relation relative to each other. For example, as shownin FIG. 1C, monopole support structure 100 includes a first set of threesupport arm assemblies 108-1 to 108-3 spaced approximately 45° relativeto each other and a second set of three support arm assemblies 108-4 to108-6 also spaced approximately 45° relative to each other and providedon an opposite side of base platform 106 relative to the first set ofsupport arm assemblies 108-1 to 108-3. In other implementations, more orfewer support arm assemblies 108 may be used.

FIG. 2A is an isometric view of base platform 106. FIG. 2B is a frontview of base platform 106. FIG. 2C is a top view of base platform 106taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2B and FIG. 20 is a top view of baseplatform 106 taken along the line B-B in FIG. 2B. FIG. 2E is a side viewof base platform 106 take along the line C-C in FIG. 20. As shown inFIGS. 2A-2E, consistent with an embodiment described herein, baseplatform 106 may include a bearing plate 202, a support tube 204, aflange plate 206, and a plurality of mounting plates 208-1 to 208-12(collectively referred to as “mounting plates 208” and individually as“mounting plate 208”).

As shown in FIG. 2A, support tube 204 may comprise a tubular elementthat substantially conforms to the configuration of monopole 102. Forexample, support tube 204 may be a dodecagonal (12-sided) tube having alength and diameter whose dimensions are based on a length and diameterof monopole 102 to be supported. In one embodiment, for a monopole 102having a length of approximately 50 feet and a maximum diameter ofapproximately 40 inches, support tube 204 may have a length ofapproximately two feet and a diameter of approximately 41 inches.

As shown in FIG. 20, in one embodiment, support tube 204 may include anadditional support layer 205 to support mounting plates 208. Forexample, support layer 205 may be formed of ¾″ steel plate. As shown inFIGS. 20 and 2E, mounting plates 208 may project through support layer205 and may be welded thereto.

Bearing plate 202 may have a generally planar configuration and iswelded to a bottom end of support tube 204. For example, bearing plate202 may be welded to support tube 204 via groove welds or fillet welds.Similar to bearing plate 202, flange plate 206 may also have a generallyplanar configuration and is welded to a top end of support tube 204. Inone embodiment, bearing plate 202 may have a circular outer peripheryand may include an outside diameter greater than a maximum diameter ofboth support tube 204 and monopole 102.

As shown, e.g., in FIGS. 2A and 2C, flange plate 206 may include aplurality of flange bolt mounting holes 210 formed in its outerperiphery. As described briefly above, flange bolt mounting holes 210may be configured to align with the mounting holes in monopole plate104. As shown in FIG. 1, during assembly of monopole 102, a plurality ofmounting bolts 110 may be inserted through the mounting holes inmonopole plate 104 and flange bolt mounting holes 210 in flange plate206 to secure monopole 102 to monopole support structure 100 usingcorresponding nuts (not shown). In addition, as shown in FIG. 2A, flangeplate 206 may include a central aperture therethrough.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 20, in one exemplary embodiment, mountingplates 208 may be configured as “doublers,” 212-1 to 212-6 (collectivelyreferred to as “doublers 212” and individually as “doubler 212”). Asshown, each doubler 212 includes a pair of mounting plates 208 separatedby one or more stiffening or supporting gussets 214. As described below,support arm assemblies 108 are mounted to doublers 212 to provide asupporting structure for monopole 102.

To provide adequate support for doublers 212, mounting plates 208 mayproject through respective openings (e.g., slots) in support layer 205and may be welded to support layer 205 at the slots (not shown) at thetime of manufacture. Supporting gussets 214 may extend between mountingplates 208 in each doubler 212 and may be welded to each mounting plate208 at opposing ends. For example, in one embodiment, each doubler 212may include two supporting gussets 214 positioned at a location distalfrom support tube 204. As described above in relation to support armassemblies 108, doublers 212 may be positioned in a spaced relationabout support tube 204 to correspond to the locations of support armassemblies 108.

In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 2D, doublers 212-2 and 212-5 mayhave a decreased width relative to doublers 212-1, 212-3, 212-4, and212-6. This decreased width may allow the corresponding support armassemblies 108 (e.g., 108-2 and 108-5) to be installed on base platform106 in between adjacent support arm assemblies 108.

As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2E, mounting plates 208 are provided witha plurality of mounting holes 216 to facilitate mounting of support armassemblies 108 to doublers 212. For example, mounting holes 216 may beprovided as two sets of four mounting holes 216. As described below,during assembly of monopole support structure 100, pins and or bolts maybe used to secure support arm assemblies 108 to doublers 212 viamounting holes 216.

Returning to FIG. 1A, support arm assemblies 108 are secured to doublers212 via bolts 112 (e.g., for support arm assemblies 108-2 and 108-5) orpins 114 (e.g., for support arm assemblies 108-1, 108-3, 108-4, and108-6). Although the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1A-1C implements bothbolts 112 and pins 114, in other embodiments, either bolts 112 or pins114 may be used for all support arm assemblies 108.

As shown in FIG. 1A, each support arm assembly 108 includes a pair ofplates 116, spacers 118, and a pier mounting foot assembly 120. In oneimplementation, support arm assemblies 108 may include straight armassemblies (e.g., assemblies 108-1, 108-3, 108-4, and 108-6) and bentarm assemblies (e.g., assemblies 108-2 and 108-5). The bentconfiguration of assemblies 108-2 and 108-5 may facilitate mounting tosupport base platform 106 in between adjacent support arm assemblies 108without requiring differences in corresponding pier mounting footassemblies 120. In other configurations, such an accommodation may notbe necessary, and each of support arm assemblies 108 may include onlystraight arms.

FIG. 3A is a side view of a plate 116 in a straight arm assembly 108(e.g., 108-1, 108-3, 108-4, and 108-6). FIG. 3B is a side view of aright hand plate 116 in a bent arm assembly 108 (e.g., 108-2 and 108-5).FIG. 3C is a top view of the right hand plate 116 of FIG. 3B. FIG. 3D isa side view of a left hand plate 116 in a bent arm assembly 108 (e.g.,108-2 and 108-5). FIG. 3E is a top view of the right hand plate 116 ofFIG. 3B.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-3E, each of plates 116 may include a generallypolygonal shape having a base platform mounting end 302 and a helicalpier mounting end 304 distal from base platform mounting end 302. In oneimplementation, helical pier mounting end 304 may have a height that islower than a height of base platform mounting end 302, thus providing agenerally angled shape to plates 116. In other embodiments, differentplate configurations may be employed. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3D,base platform mounting end 302 of plates 116 may include mounting holes306 configured to align with mounting holes 216 in mounting plates 108.During installation, mounting holes 306 in plates 116 of support armassemblies 108 may be positioned to align with mounting holes 216 inmounting plates 108 and bolts 112/pins 114 may be used to secure supportarm assemblies 108 to base platform 106.

As shown in FIGS. 3B-3E, plates 116 of bent arm assemblies 108 (e.g.,108-2 and 108-5) may include a bent interior section 308 that ispositioned between base platform mounting end 302 and helical piermounting end 304. As shown more specifically in FIGS. 3C and 3E, bentinterior section 308 may provide a lateral translation of plate 116 frommounting end 302 and helical pier mounting end 304, such that, when aright hand plate 116 and a left hand plate 116 are combined to form bentarm assemblies 108-2 and 108-5, the separation between the right handplate 116 and the left hand plate 116 is narrower at respective baseplatform mounting ends 302 than at helical pier mounting ends 304. Asdescribed above, this configuration allows for the bent arm assemblies108-2 and 108-5 to be installed between adjacent straight arm assemblies108.

As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3D, each of plate 116 also include aplurality of spacer mounting holes 310 and a foot assembly mounting slot312. As shown in FIG. 1A, during assembly of support arm assemblies 108,a plurality of spacers 118 may be provided between plates 116 in eachsupport arm assembly. For example, spacers 118 may be formed of a rigidtubular material, such as steel, and may include an aperturetherethrough for receiving a spacer mounting pin 124 therein. As shown,spacers 118 may be positioned between corresponding spacer mountingholes 310 in plates 116. Spacer mounting pins 124 may be insertedthrough spacer mounting holes 310 and through spacers 118 to rigidlyform support arm assemblies 108 having a desired width between plates116.

Foot assembly mounting slot 312 may be configured to include a widththat is larger than its height. As shown in FIG. 1A, foot assemblymounting slot 312 is configured to receive foot mounting bolts 126therein to secure pier mounting foot assembly 120 (e.g., using footmounting nuts 127) to support arm assembly 108 in an adjustable manner.As described in additional detail below, the slotted configuration offoot assembly mounting slot 312 provides adjustment or movement of thepositioning of pier mounting foot assembly 120 in a single dimensionlabeled as “y” (e.g., front to back) in relation to support arm assembly108-2 in FIG. 1A.

As shown generally in FIG. 1A, each pier mounting foot assembly 120provides a structure for coupling to exposed end of an embedded helicalpier 128 and for enabling the secure coupling of the embedded helicalpier 128 to monopole support system 100. More particularly, inconjunction with support arm assemblies 108, pier mounting footassemblies 120 enable adjustable positioning of mounting foot assembly120 relative to support arm assemblies 108 in three dimensions, labeled“x, “y”, and “z” in FIG. 1A. Though a helical pier system is shown inFIG. 1A, it is understood that the support system described herein mayinclude a variety of micropile and pier systems.

As shown in FIG. 1A, each pier mounting foot assembly 120 includes afoot plate assembly 130, a pier cap assembly 132, and an anchor boltassembly 134. FIG. 4A is an isometric view of an exemplary foot plateassembly 130. FIGS. 4B-4D are top, side, and front views, respectively,of foot plate assembly 130. FIGS. 4E and 4F are top, and front views,respectively, of an exemplary pier cap assembly 132. FIG. 40 is a frontview of an exemplary anchor bolt assembly 134.

As shown in FIGS. 4A-4D, in one exemplary embodiment, foot plateassembly 130 includes a main plate 402 and a pair of gusset plates 404.In one embodiment, main plate 402 may be formed of bent steel or similarmaterial and may include bottom 406 and sides 408 formed perpendicularlyrelative to bottom 406. Gusset plates 404 may be welded to bottom 406and sides 408 of main plate 402 to provide stiffness and rigidity tofoot plate assembly 130. In one implementation, gusset plates 404 mayinclude angled lower comers (e.g., adjacent to the interface betweensides 408 and bottom 406 in main plate 402). The angled lower cornersmay allow fluid (e.g., rain) to flow off of main plate 402.

Although main plate 402 is depicted in FIGS. 4A-4D as being formed of asingle piece of sheet material, in other implementations, main plate 402may be welded from separate bottom and side components.

As shown in FIGS. 4A-4D, sides 408 of main plate 402 may includemounting holes 410 formed therein. Consistent with embodiments describedherein, mounting holes 410 in main plate 402 may be configured to alignwith foot assembly mounting slot 312 in support arm assembly 108 (e.g.,in plates 116). During assembly, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1D, footmounting bolt 126 may be used (along with a corresponding foot mountingnut 127) to secure foot plate assembly 130 to support arm assembly 106via mounting holes 410 and foot assembly mounting slot 312,respectively. Furthermore, consistent with embodiments described herein,adjustments to the horizontal positioning of foot plate assembly 130relative to support arm assembly 106 may be made by moving foot mountingbolts 126 within foot assembly mounting slot 312 prior to tighteningfoot mounting nut 127.

As shown in FIG. 4B, consistent with embodiments described herein,bottom 406 of main plate 402 may include an anchor bolt mounting slot412 formed therein. Anchor bolt mounting slot 412 may be configured toinclude length that is larger than its width, resulting in an elongatedopening. As shown in FIG. 1A, anchor bolt mounting slot 412 isconfigured to receive anchor bolt assembly 134 therein. As describedbelow, anchor bolt assembly 134 is secured to an exposed end of embeddedhelical pier 128. As described in additional detail below, the slot formof anchor bolt mounting slot 412 allows adjustment or movement of anchorbolt assembly 134 within foot plate assembly 130 in a single dimensionlabeled as “x” (e.g., side to side) in relation to support arm assembly108-2 in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIGS. 4E and 4F, pier cap assembly 132 includes a pier cap140 and a pier cap nut 413. In one embodiment, pier cap 140 includes agenerally tubular sleeve portion 414 and a top plate 416. As shown inFIG. 5, the top end of helical piers 128 is typically formed of roundtubing or pipe. Accordingly, tubular sleeve portion 414 may beconfigured to include an inside diameter corresponding to an outsidediameter of the top end of the helical piers 128. In one embodiment, thetop end may be approximately eight inches. Furthermore, sleeve portion414 may include a plurality of pier fixing holes 418 formedtherethrough. Top plate 416 encloses one end of sleeve portion 414 andincludes an anchor bolt receiving aperture 419 formed therethrough. Piercap nut 413 may be aligned with anchor bolt receiving aperture 419 andsecured to an interior surface of top plate 416 (e.g., by welding).Similarly, top plate 416 may be secured (e.g., by welding) to sleeveportion 414.

Upon assembly, the exposed end of helical pier 128 is inserted intosleeve portion 414 of pier cap 140. Mounting holes are drilled (e.g., onsite) through helical pier 128 through pier fixing holes 418. As shownin FIG. 1A, pier fixing pins 160 are inserted through pier fixing holes418 (and corresponding mounting holes drilled into helical pier 128) andsecured (e.g., via pin bolts, nuts, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 4G, anchor bolt assembly 134 may include an anchorbolt 420, a jam nut 422, a leveling nut 424, a top nut 426, and washers428. In one implementation, anchor bolt 420 may included a threadedsteel shaft configured to correspond to interior threads in pier cap nut413, jam nut 422, leveling nut 424, and top nut 426. A length of anchorbolt 420 may allow for adjustable installation of helical pier 128relative to support arm assembly 108 via foot plate assembly 130.

For example, in operation, jam nut 422 is configured to secure anchorbolt assembly to pier cap 140, while leveling nut 424 and top nut 426enable vertical positioning of anchor bolt assembly 134 (and thus,helical pier 128) relative to foot plate assembly 130. Morespecifically, during installation, anchor bolt 420 is inserted throughtop plate 416 in pier cap assembly 132 and into pier cap nut 413. Jamnut 422 is tightening down onto top plate 416 to secure anchor bolt 420to pier cap assembly 132. Leveling nut 424 and one of washers 428 arethen threaded onto anchor bolt 420.

Support arm assembly 108 may then be lowered onto the anchor bolt 420.For example, anchor bolt 420 may be received within anchor bolt mountingslot 412 in main plate 402 of foot plate assembly 130. Once a suitablepositioning of helical pier 128 relative to a respective support armassembly 108 is determined (e.g., determined to cause support armassemblies 108 to be coplanar with each other), leveling nut 424 may bepositioned in a corresponding location on anchor bolt 420. As brieflydescribed above, the slotted nature of anchor bolt mounting slot 412allows the location of anchor bolt 420 (and hence helical pier 128) tobe positioned in variable locations in relation to foot plate assembly130.

Once all six pier mounting foot assembly 120 have been positioned withintheir respective support arm assemblies 108, top nuts 426 and footmounting nuts 127 are tightened to secure helical pier 128 to monopolesupport structure 100 in a level and plumb orientation. Consistent withembodiments described herein, such an adjustable configuration allowsfor helical piers 128 to be precisely secured even where the exposedends deviate from a true center by as much as three inches or more.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of one of helical piers 128. As shown,helical pier 128 includes a shaft portion 505 and a number of auger orblade portions 510. An operating end 515 of shaft portion 505 mayinclude a pointed end for enabling pier 128 to more easily penetrate theEarth during installation. A retaining end 520 of shaft portion 505 maybe exposed for connection to pier cap assembly 132 as described above.

Following insertion of helical pier 128 into the Earth to a desired orpredetermined depth, shaft portion 505 may be trimmed or cut so thatretaining end 520 projects from the Earth by a predetermined amount. Asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, helical piers 128 may be inserted into theEarth at locations radially aligned with pier mounting foot assemblies120. Retaining ends 520 of helical piers 128 may be received withinsleeve portions 414 of pier cap assemblies 132 as described above.Mounting holes may be drilled through retaining ends 520 in the field toalign with pier fixing holes 418 in sleeve portion 414. Pins 160 may bereceived through pier fixing holes 418 and the field drilled holes inhelical piers 128 and secured (e.g., via clips, not/bolt, etc.).

FIG. 6A is an isometric view of a portion of a support structure 600 forsupporting a tubular monopole 602 consistent with another embodimentdescribed herein. Similar to monopole 102 described above, monopole 602may include a substantially cylindrical or frusto-conical configurationformed of galvanized tubular steel or similar material. FIG. 6B is afront view of tubular monopole 602 installed into a support surface(e.g., the ground). FIG. 6C is a top view of monopole support structure600. FIG. 60 is a front view of monopole support structure 600.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a monopole plate 604 may be welded to the bottom ofmonopole 602, e.g., via groove welds or fillet welds. Monopole plate 604may include a plurality of mounting holes formed in its outer periphery.In an exemplary embodiment, monopole plate 604 includes 12 mountingholes spaced about the periphery. As described below, the mounting holesin monopole plate 604 may align with mounting holes in a base platform606 to secure monopole 602 to base platform 606.

Consistent with implementations described herein, monopole supportstructure 600 may include a base platform 606, a plurality of mountingplates 608 (collectively referred to as “mounting plates 608” andindividually as “mounting plate 608”), and a plurality of pier mountingfoot assemblies 610-1 to 610-3 (collectively referred to as “piermounting foot assemblies 610” and individually as “pier mounting footassembly 610”). In an exemplary implementation, monopole supportstructure 600 may include three mounting plates 608 that project from aperiphery of base platform 606 in a spaced relation relative to eachother. For example, as shown in FIG. 6C, monopole support structure 600illustrates three mounting plates 608-1 to 608-3 spaced approximately120° relative to each other. In other implementations, more or fewermounting plates 608 may be used.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of base platform 606. FIG. 7B is a frontview of base platform 606. FIG. 7C is a top view of base platform 606taken along the line A-A in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7D is a top view of baseplatform 606 taken along the line B-B in FIG. 7B. FIG. 7E is a side viewof base platform 606 take along the line C-C in FIG. 7D. As shown inFIGS. 7A-7E, consistent with an embodiment described herein, baseplatform 606 may include a bearing plate 702, a support tube 704, and aflange plate 706.

As shown in FIG. 7A, support tube 704 may comprise a tubular elementthat substantially conforms to the configuration of monopole 602. Forexample, support tube 704 may be a dodecagonal (12-sided) tube having alength and diameter whose dimensions are based on a length and diameterof monopole 602 to be supported. In one embodiment, for a monopole 602having a length of approximately 20 feet and a maximum diameter ofapproximately 22 inches, support tube 704 may have a length ofapproximately 16 inches and a diameter of approximately 22 inches.

As shown in FIG. 7D, in one embodiment, support tube 704 may include anadditional support layer 705 to support mounting plates 608. Forexample, support layer 705 may be formed of ¾″ steel plate. As shown inFIGS. 7D and 7E, mounting plates 608 may project through support layer705 and may be welded thereto.

Bearing plate 702 may have a generally planar configuration and iswelded to a bottom end of support tube 704. For example, bearing plate702 may be welded to support tube 704 via groove welds or fillet welds.Similar to bearing plate 702, flange plate 706 may also have a generallyplanar configuration and is welded to a top end of support tube 704. Inone embodiment, bearing plate 702 may have a circular outer peripheryand may include an outside diameter greater than a maximum diameter ofboth support tube 704 and monopole 602.

As shown, e.g., in FIGS. 7A and 7C, flange plate 706 may include aplurality of flange bolt mounting holes 708 formed in its outerperiphery. As described briefly above, flange bolt mounting holes 708may be configured to align with the mounting holes in monopole plate604. As shown in FIG. 6A, during assembly of monopole 602, a pluralityof mounting bolts 612 may be inserted through the mounting holes inmonopole plate 604 and flange bolt mounting holes 708 in flange plate706 to secure monopole 602 to monopole support structure 600 usingcorresponding nuts (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 7A, in one exemplary embodiment, mounting plates 608include steel plates that project from support tube 704. Althoughdepicted in FIGS. 7A-7E as including singular plates, in otherconfigurations, mounting plates 608 may be configured as “doublers,”similar to doublers 212 described above. To provide adequate support,mounting plates 608 may project through respective openings (e.g.,slots) in support layer 705 and may be welded to support layer 705 atthe slots (not shown) at the time of manufacture.

As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7E, each mounting plate 608 is providedwith a foot plate assembly mounting slot 710 to facilitate adjustablemounting of pier mounting foot assembly 610 to mounting plates 608. Forexample, each foot plate assembly mounting slot 710 may be positioned ina portion of mounting plate 608 distal from support tube 704. Further,as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7E, foot plate assembly mounting slot 710may be configured to include a width that is greater that its height.For example, in relation to mounting plate 608-1 in FIG. 7A, a “y”dimension of foot plate assembly mounting slot 710 is larger than its“z” dimension, thereby allowing movement of a bolt or pin insertedtherethrough in the “z” dimension.

As shown in FIG. 6A, foot plate assembly mounting slots 710 in mountingplates 608 are configured to receive foot plate mounting bolts 626therein to secure pier mounting foot assemblies 610 (e.g., using footmounting nuts 627) in an adjustable manner. As described in additionaldetail below, the slotted configuration of foot plate assembly mountingslot 710 provides adjustment of the positioning of pier mounting footassemblies 610 in a single dimension (e.g., foot assembly 610-1 may bemoved in a direction labeled as “y” (e.g., front to back) in FIG. 6A).

As shown generally in FIG. 6A, each pier mounting foot assembly 610provides a structure for coupling to exposed end of an embedded helicalpier 628 and for enabling the secure coupling of the embedded helicalpier 628 to monopole support system 600. More particularly, inconjunction with mounting plates 608, pier mounting foot assemblies 610enable adjustable positioning relative to mounting plates 608 in threedimensions, labeled “x, “y”, and “z” in FIG. 6A (as shown in relation tomounting plate 608-1). It should be understood that relative axes aredifferent for each mounting plate 608.

As shown in FIG. 6A, each pier mounting foot assembly 610 includes apair of foot plate assembly 630-1 and 630-2 (collectively referred to as“foot plate assemblies 630” and individually as “foot plate assembly630”), a pier cap assembly 632, and a pair of anchor bolt assembly 634-1and 634-2 (collectively referred to as “anchor bolt assemblies 634” andindividually as “anchor bolt assembly 634”). FIGS. 8A-8C are top, side,and front views, respectively, of foot plate assembly 630. FIGS. 80 and8E are top, and front views, respectively, of an exemplary pier capassembly 632. FIG. 8F is a front view of an exemplary anchor boltassembly 634.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, in one exemplary embodiment, each foot plateassembly 630 includes a main plate 802 and a pair of support plates 804.In one embodiment, main plate 802 may be formed of bent steel or similarmaterial and may include bottom 806 and side 808 formed perpendicularlyrelative to bottom 806. Support plates 804 may be welded to bottom 806and side 808 of main plate 802 to provide stiffness and rigidity to footplate assembly 630. In one implementation, support plates 804 mayinclude angled lower comers (e.g., adjacent to the interface betweenside 808 and bottom 806 in main plate 802). The angled lower corners mayallow fluid (e.g., rain) to flow off of main plate 802.

Although main plate 802 is depicted in FIGS. 8A-8C as being formed of asingle piece of sheet material, in other implementations, main plate 802may be welded from separate bottom and side components.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, side 808 of main plate 802 may include amounting hole 810 formed therein. Consistent with embodiments describedherein, mounting hole 810 in main plate 802 may be configured to alignwith foot plate assembly mounting slot 710 in mounting plates 608.During assembly, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6D, foot mounting bolt 626 maybe used (along with a corresponding foot plate mounting nut 627) tosecure a pair of foot plate assemblies 630 to mounting plate 608 viamounting holes 810 and foot plate assembly mounting slot 710,respectively. As shown, in one embodiment, foot plate assemblies 630 maybe mounted in a “back-to-back” manner using a single foot mounting bolt626. Furthermore, consistent with embodiments described herein,adjustments to the “y” direction positioning of foot plate assembly 630relative to mounting plates 608 may be made by moving foot platemounting bolts 626 within foot assembly mounting slot 710 prior totightening foot plate mounting nut 627.

As shown in Fig. SA, consistent with embodiments described herein,bottom 806 of main plate 802 may include an anchor bolt mounting slot812 formed therein. Anchor bolt mounting slot 812 may be configured toinclude an “x” dimension that is larger than its “y” dimension,resulting in an elongated opening. As shown in FIG. 6A, anchor boltmounting slot 812 is configured to receive anchor bolt assembly 634therein. As described below, anchor bolt assembly 634 is secured to anexposed end of embedded helical pier 628. As described in additionaldetail below, the slot form of anchor bolt mounting slot 812 providesadjustment or movement of the positioning of anchor bolt assembly 634within foot plate assembly 630 in a single dimension labeled as “x”(e.g., side to side) in FIG. 6A.

As shown in Figs. SD and SE, pier cap assembly 632 includes a generallytubular sleeve portion 814 and a top plate 816. Sleeve portion 814 maybe sized to receive an exposed end of embedded helical pier 628 and mayinclude a plurality of pier fixing holes 818 formed therethrough. Topplate 816 encloses one end of sleeve portion 814 and includes a pair ofanchor bolt receiving apertures 819 formed therethrough. As shown inFIG. 80, top plate 816 may have a length that is sufficiently longerthan an outside diameter of sleeve portion 814 to allow anchor boltassemblies 634 to be received within anchor bolt receiving apertures 819without interference from sleeve portion 814. In one embodiment, topplate 816 may be secured (e.g., by welding) to sleeve portion 814.

Upon assembly, the exposed end of helical pier 628 is inserted intosleeve portion 814 of pier cap assembly 632. Mounting holes are drilled(e.g., on site) through helical pier 628 through pier fixing holes 818.Pier fixing pins are inserted through pier fixing holes 818 (andcorresponding mounting holes drilled into helical pier 128) and secured(e.g., via pin bolts, nuts, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 8F, each anchor bolt assembly 634 may include ananchor bolt 820, a bottom nut 821, a jam nut 822, a leveling nut 824, atop nut 826, and washers 828. In one implementation, anchor bolt 820 mayinclude a threaded steel shaft configured to correspond to interiorthreads in bottom nut 821, jam nut 822, leveling nut 824, and top nut826. A length of anchor bolt 820 may allow for adjustable installationof helical pier 628 relative to mounting plates 608 via foot plateassembly 630.

For example, in operation, bottom nuts 821 and jam nuts 822 areconfigured to secure anchor bolts 820 to pier cap assembly 632, whileleveling nuts 824 and top nuts 826 enable vertical positioning of anchorbolt assemblies 820 (and thus, helical pier 628) relative to foot plateassemblies 630. More specifically, during installation, anchor bolts 820are inserted through top plate 816 in pier cap assembly 632 via anchorbolt receiving apertures 819. Bottom nuts 841 are then threaded ontoanchor bolts 820 below top plate 816 and jam nuts 822 are threaded ontoanchor bolts 820 above top plate 816, thereby securing top plate 816.Leveling nuts 824 and washers 828 are then threaded onto anchor bolts820.

Two foot plate assemblies 630 may then be lowered onto the anchor bolts820. For example, anchor bolts 820 may be received within anchor boltmounting slots 812 in main plates 402 of foot plate assemblies 630. Topnuts 826 may then be loosely threaded onto anchor bolts 820 to securethe foot plate assemblies 630 to anchor bolts 820. As briefly describedabove, the slotted nature of anchor bolt mounting slots 812 allows thelocation of anchor bolts 820 (and hence helical pier 128) to bepositioned in variable locations in the “x” dimension.

Mounting plates 608 may be inserted between corresponding pairs of footplate assemblies 630 such that mounting holes 810 in foot plateassemblies 630 align with foot plate assembly mounting slot 710 inmounting plates 608. As described above, the slotted nature of footplate assembly mounting slot 710 allows the location of foot plateassemblies 630 to be adjusted or moved in the “y” dimension.

Once all mounting plates 608 have been positioned within theirrespective foot plate assemblies 630, and the entire monopole supportassembly 600 has been leveled and plumbed, top nuts 826 and footmounting nuts 627 are tightened to secure helical pier 628 to monopolesupport structure 600. Consistent with embodiments described herein,such an adjustable configuration allows for helical piers 628 to beprecisely secured even where the exposed ends deviate from a true centerby as much as three inches or more.

By providing an adjustable support mechanism for a helical pier-basedmonopole support system, embodiments described herein may provide anefficient and environmentally sensitive alternative to existing monopolesupport systems, while accommodating deviations in the locations of theembedded helical piers. More particularly, helical piers may be driveninto the ground surrounding a monopole with minimal environment impact.The above-described adjustable support assemblies may be secured to boththe helical piers and the monopole to provide an effective supportsystem with minimal impact and cost.

The foregoing description of exemplary implementations providesillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the embodiments described herein to the precise form disclosed.Modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practice of the embodiments.

Although the invention has been described in detail above, it isexpressly understood that it will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art that the invention may be modified without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. Various changes of form, design, orarrangement may be made to the invention without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the above-mentioneddescription is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and thetrue scope of the invention is that defined in the following claims.

In addition, although embodiments described here and depicted in theFigures primarily relate to structures for supporting monopoles having asingle member, in other embodiments consistent with aspects describedherein, the described support structures may be used with othernon-monopole configurations, such as H-frames, V-towers, Y-towers, Deltatowers, Gull Wing towers, etc. In such embodiments, the base or bases ofeach type of tower or structure may be secured using helical piers inthe manner described above.

No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the presentapplication should be construed as critical or essential to theinvention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, thearticle “a” is intended to include one or more items. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. A support assembly, comprising: a plurality of support arms coupledto a pole or tower structure, wherein the plurality of support armsproject radially from the pole or tower structure in a spacedrelationship; a plurality of adjustable foot assemblies coupled torespective distal ends of the plurality of support arms, wherein each ofthe plurality of adjustable foot assemblies is configured for couplingto an embedded helical pier, and wherein each of the plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies is capable of movement in each of threedimensions relative to the respective support arm to which it is coupledduring installation of the support assembly.
 2. The support assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the pole or tower structure comprises: a monopole; anda base structure configured to support the monopole, wherein theplurality of support arms are coupled to the base structure.
 3. Thesupport assembly of claim 2, further comprising: a plurality of mountingplates coupled to the base structure, wherein the plurality of supportarms are coupled to the plurality of mounting plates.
 4. The supportassembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality mounting plates areconfigured as a plurality of doublers, with each doubler comprising twoof the plurality of mounting plates, wherein the plurality of supportarms are coupled to the plurality of doublers.
 5. The support assemblyof claim 4, wherein the plurality of support arms each comprise: a pairof polygonal plates coupled together by a plurality of support gussets,wherein the polygonal plates each include a foot assembly mounting slotfor enabling movement of the adjustable foot assembly in a firstdirection relative to the respective support arm during installation. 6.The support assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies comprise: a foot structure having a bottomand at least one side, wherein the bottom of the foot structure includesan anchor bolt mounting slot for enabling movement of the helical pierin a second direction relative to the foot structure duringinstallation, wherein the at least one side includes a mounting holeconfigured to align with the foot assembly mounting slots in thepolygonal plates, wherein the foot structure is coupled to therespective support arm via a bolt or pin inserted into the mounting holeand the foot assembly mounting slots.
 7. The support assembly of claim6, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.8. The support assembly of claim 7, wherein the first direction isradially aligned with the respective support arm to which the adjustablefoot assembly is coupled.
 9. The support assembly of claim 6, whereineach of the plurality of adjustable foot assemblies further comprise: apier cap configured to securely receive an exposed end of a respectiveof the helical piers; and an anchor bolt assembly configured to couplethe pier cap to the foot structure via the anchor bolt mounting slot.10. The support assembly of claim 9, wherein the pier cap comprises: asleeve portion to receive the an exposed end of the respective of thehelical piers; a top plate enclosing an end of the sleeve portion; and apier cap nut coupled to the top plate and aligned with an aperture inthe top plate; and wherein the anchor bolt assembly comprises: athreaded anchor bolt; a jam nut; a leveling nut; and a top nut, whereinthe pier cap nut is configured to receive one end of the threaded anchorbolt, wherein the jam nut is configured to secure the threaded anchorbolt to the pier cap via the, wherein the foot structure is configuredto receive the other end of the threaded anchor bolt via the anchor boltmounting slot, wherein the leveling nut is moveable along the threadedanchor bolt in a third direction to set a distance between the footstructure and the pier cap, and wherein the top not is configured tosecure the threaded anchor bolt to the foot structure at the setdistance.
 11. The support assembly of claim 10, wherein the thirddirection is perpendicular to both the first and second directions. 12.The support assembly of claim 2, wherein the plurality of support armscomprise the plurality of mounting plates, and wherein each of theplurality of mounting plates include a foot assembly mounting slot forenabling movement of at least one of adjustable foot assemblies in afirst direction relative to the respective mounting plate duringinstallation.
 13. The support assembly of claim 12, wherein each of theplurality of adjustable foot assemblies comprises: a foot structurehaving a bottom and a side, wherein the bottom of the foot structureincludes an anchor bolt mounting slot for enabling movement of thehelical pier in a second direction relative to the foot structure duringinstallation, wherein the side includes a mounting hole configured toalign with the foot assembly mounting slots in a respective mountingplate, wherein the foot structure is coupled to the respective mountingplate via a bolt or pin inserted into the mounting hole and the footassembly mounting slot.
 14. The support assembly of claim 13, whereinthe first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
 15. Thesupport assembly of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies further comprises: a pier cap configured tosecurely receive an exposed end of a respective one of the helicalpiers; and at least one anchor bolt assembly configured to couple thepier cap to the foot structure via the anchor bolt mounting slot. 16.The support structure of claim 15, wherein the each of the adjustablefoot assemblies comprises two foot structures coupled to the respectivemounting plate in a back to back manner via the foot assembly mountingslot.
 17. The support assembly of claim 1, wherein the pole or towerstructure, the plurality of support arms, and the plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies comprise galvanized steel.
 18. A foundationsystem for an electrical utility structure, comprising: a base platformfor supporting the electrical utility structure; a plurality of mountingplates secured to the base platform in a radially spaced configuration;a plurality of support arms coupled to respective mounting plates forsupporting the electrical utility structure; and a plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies coupled to respective ends of the pluralityof support arms, wherein the plurality of adjustable foot assemblies arecoupled to exposed ends of embedded helical piers upon installation ofthe foundation system, wherein the plurality of adjustable footassemblies allow for positioning of the helical pier in each of threedimensions.
 19. The foundation system of claim 18, wherein each of theplurality of support arms comprises a foot assembly mounting slot,wherein the respective adjustable foot assembly is coupled to therespective support arm via a bolt or pin inserted through the footassembly mounting slot to allow relative movement in a first directionbetween the adjustable foot assembly and the support arm.
 20. Thefoundation system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality ofadjustable foot assemblies comprises an anchor bolt mounting slot,wherein the respective helical pier is coupled to the respectiveadjustable foot assembly via an anchor bolt coupled to the respectivehelical pier and inserted through the anchor bolt mounting slot to allowrelative movement between the helical pier and the adjustable footassembly in a second direction.
 21. The foundation system of claim 20,wherein the anchor bolt comprises a leveling nut for enabling setting ofa distance between the helical pier and the adjustable foot assembly.